Closing Open Doors
by BabyJaneMichaels
Summary: Trish revisits a childhood memory and how it lead her to become a 7 time womens Champion. This Story is written in memory of a friend of mine who passed away after a battle with cancer,and is also dedicated to her,her family and her friends,so please r
1. Rainy Day

**Intoduction:**

Hugging my knees to my chest, I sat peering out my window at the autumn leaves falling from the large oak trees outside. I watched the raindrops fall almost as quickly as the tears that streamed down my face. Slowly I moved from my position on the window seat and padded over to my desk. Plopping down, I tucked my feet under me and began rummaging through my drawers. I looked up and caught a glimpse of a picture half hidden by a vase of flowers, and slowly moved it into full view. A tender smile and loving eyes bashfully glowed out at me, a moment frozen in time, one that could never be revisited. Only in my mind did these times of the past still exist. Leaning against the back of my chair, I hung my head, letting the tears fall as the memories of yesterday washed over me…

**A/N: This is suppose to be very short to get people into my story, I hope this worked. This story is writtenfrom Trish Stratus's POV. Pls r&r and tell me what you think so far your opinion is greatly appreciated! Hope to hear some good comments and stay tuned for the next installment!**


	2. The fatal flaw

**This is the 2nd intstallment to this story. Pls R&R.  
Disclaimer:I do not own Trish Stratus or any other wwe superstar I decide to bring in later, but I do own anyone else mentioned in this story.**

**Flashback:**  
_In a field of wildflowers, giggles and shrieks of laughter could be heard as Grace offered Mr. Kitty a cup of tea. Her pixie face scrunched up in laughter as I offered Baby Bear another cookie at our annual "Teddy Bear Picnic"._ _Grace's golden curls bounced about her petite shoulders while she jumped up, saying "You can't catch me" in her teasing voice. As she ran away, her angelic laughter hung in the air like a lasting promise._

Grace Leianne Simpson was born on December 18, 1976, the same day as me. She has been apart of my life for aslong as I can remember. My very first memory, in fact, is of the two of us licking ice cream cones on my front porch while the Canada sun beat down upon our sun-kissed cheeks. Kathleen Simpson, Grace's mom, called us the 'ragamuffin twins'. _"Always getting into mischief…" _She'd tell us. I didn't mind it, though, because, well, it was mostly true. Grace and I were always getting into things and being more of a nuisance than anything else.

We lived a wonderful life, one I wouldn't trade for anything, but even our picture of perfection has its difficulties. I had always dreamed of becoming a professional wrestler, while Grace, wanted to become a doctor, we always had our disputes about it but tried to not let it ruin our friendship too much. Other than that there was always a more serious fault. Grace came into the world eight weeks premature and weighed a mere two pounds at birth. She was born with one fatal flaw: Her body had not fully developed by the time she was born and a hole in her heart had been left as an eternal scar. Right before her first open-heart surgery at only five days old, Grace's parents had named her. _"Only by the Grace of God have you made it this far"._ Six surgeries and a heart transplant later, Grace was as rambunctious as ever. Little did we know that her heart would not be her greatest downfall.


	3. shooting stars

**A/N: Thanks to those who have already r&r its greatly appreciated. There isn't much left to this story, but I promise, by what I have been told by friend, the next chapter, which I think will be the last, you will need a box of tissue.I don't know how true that is but I guess we'll find out! Pls continue to r&r thanks!**

During the summer before seventh grade, Grace and I were riding our bikes down the dirt path that led to my home when it all began…

"_Trish, can you stop for a minute?" _Grace asked in a voice that still sends chills up my spine. We stopped and sat down in the soft moss that lined the edges of the woods that surrounded our small town. I looked deep into Grace's eyes and was frightened by what I saw. Fear and pain showed through those eyes of eternal happiness and love. Tears welled up in my eyes and my throat went dry as she began the talk that would change my life forever.

"_Trish, I went to the doctor today. He said my heart is doing fine…"_ she choked back tears as I shook my head in impatience. _"What could be so bad? Your heart is fine," _I reasoned, but I knew that something was terribly wrong. Grace tilted her head down so I would not see the tears that cascaded down her cheeks, but it was in vain, for she knew I could see more than just her tears; I could see her pain and her fear. I looked at her with pleading eyes as she blurted out _"I have cancer, Trish." _My hand shot up to my mouth as I shook my head in disbelief and the tears threatened to spill over. _"No…"_ was all I could utter before I cried out in anguish. I don't know how long we sat there just holding each other, but eternity wouldn't of been long enough.

That night, I was sitting on my roof outside my bedroom window as I gazed up at the stars that spilled across the sky. I leaned my head against the windowsill and looked up, silently questioning heaven with my tears and cries. I heard a noise and turned my head to see Grace climbing out the window, slowly sitting down next to me, not saying a word. We sat like that for awhile, just listening to the crickets incessant chirping and watching the heavens in wonder. Shooting across the sky was a bright and glorious star, one that I knew would eventually burn out, never to be seen again.

"_Make a wish, quick," _Grace said quietly.

"_I don't believe in wishing on stars anymore"_ I hoarsely answered. _"All the wishing in the world can't stop your cancer,"_ I bitterly added.

Grace looked up at the sky and said, _"I still believe. When I was little I used to look up and wish on all the shooting stars. Do you know what I would wish for?"_ I shook my head and bit my lip, trying to stop the tears. _"I would wish that we would be friends forever, the kind that can never be replaced."_

I looked into her eyes and saw their sincerity, then asked, _"What did you wish on this one?"_

She looked up at the sky again, the moonlight casting a glow on her soft face. _"I wished that we would be friends forever, the kind that can never be replaced,"_ she replied softly. I leaned my head on her shoulder, and she rested her head on mine. We sat there in silence, watching the sky, praying that this moment would never end.


	4. Tears of sorrow

**A/N: I know I said that you would need a tissue box for the next chapter but I changed my mind and have decided to make this story longer than originally planned. Thnx for the reviews and pls keep them coming. As said in the summary, this story is dedicated to a friend of mine, Amy, who passed away last year from cancer so I write this in her memory as we were both major wrestling freaks:(R.I.P Amy:(**

I continued to stare at the picture of grace for what seemed to be forever, I would have given anything for her cancer to go away, even if it meant giving up my dream. She knew that whatever I set my mind to I could and would accomplish, that was the kind of person I was, but after that day, I never thought it would be possible for me to get over what was happening to my best friend. The entire time she was dealing with it, I felt that I had cancer along with her because when she suffered so did I.

I stood up to the best of my abilities, my back was sore, but pain comes with this line of work. I held my back with my left hand and held the picture of Grace in my right as I walked over to my bedroom door out into the hallway to get a drink of water. I slowly made my way down the winding staircase and to the kitchen. After grabbing a bottle of water I closed the fridge door and went to go back upstairs when the phone rang. I let out a heavy sigh and returned back into the kitchen and answered the phone.

"_Hello?"_

"_Hi, Trish? It's Ashley"_

"_What's up?"_

"_I just wanted to check on ya and see how your back is doing"_

"_It's alright, It's been better, but it's doing fine should be back soon hopefully"_

"_I hope so, it just isn't the same without you, you're the Women's Champ, we need you!"_

"_Yeah, I suppose"_

"_Hey you alright? You sound like you've been crying? Something happen between you and Shawn?"_

"_No, him and I are fine, I'm just tired, that's all, I'm fine"_

"_You positive Trish?"_

" _Yeah, look I'm going to go to bed right now so I'll talk to you in the morning alright?"_

"_Alright, fine, bye"_

I hung up the phone and walked up the stairs back to my bedroom where I once again took my seat in the chair at my desk. I placed the picture in my lap and the water bottle on the table. I glanced down at my friends face and felt the tears begin to form in my eyes once again. There had never been a time in all my life where I wished that someone was here right at that moment to comfort me and tell me everything would be alright. I glanced at my laptop and noticed that I had an e-mail. So I opened up the e-mail and noticed it was from my mom.

"_Trish, I heard about your back and I hope your doing fine, your father and I send you all the love and sympathy in the world and so does the rest of the family. How are things going with Shawn? It has been awhile since you and I last talked and it's been awhile since I've heard anything about the two of you. Your Aunt wants to know when she can expect a wedding invitation from you, she thinks that the two of you are made for each other, but you know how she is. I know you may start to think that I'm sounding like her too but I just want to let you know that you aren't getting any younger so hurry up, get married, and give me grandchildren already! Well, I have to get going, but please e-mail or call me soon!  
__Love Mom"_

I laughed as I finished reading the e-mail and clicked on the "reply" button. I started to type back to my mom, clearing my mind for at least a few brief moments.

"_Mom, thanks really, my back is fine, nothing major. That's not the first time I've heard that today and to answer the question for what seems to be the billionth time things are fine between him and I, we couldn't be happier…well, I could be happier. I can't stop thinking of Grace, ever since I got home I just haven't been able to think of anything else and with Shawn out on the road and me being stuck here by myself is really hard because I'm not used to it and I love to be up and doing things, I hate to be sitting around. Tell her and everyone else _that_ asks that they can be expecting an invitation shortly, because yes, you've probably guessed by now that we are engaged and are getting married in December. I'm sorry I waited until now to tell you, but I've been so busy with work and now this injury, I've finally got time to sit and get everything that I need to get done and start planning this wedding. I have to admit I'm nervous, but he means so much to me and I love him, I only wish that Grace would be able to attend. I've had it planned since the day I met her that she was going to be my maid of honor and unfortunately, it just isn't possible. I completed one of the two tasks you requested of me but the grandchildren thing is going to have to wait awhile but I promise, it will happen eventually. Tell everyone that I love them and thanks for the sympathy, expect to hear from me in a few days or so and look out for the invitations!  
__Love Trish"_

I hit "send"and closed up my laptop and stared into Grace's eyes. The pain I felt earlier returned and this time it was too much, I grabbed my cell phone from beside my laptop and called Shawn. I felt bad because he was probably tired and sleeping right now where he was, but I really needed him. I sat with the tears streaming down my face awaiting him to answer, and he did, sounding tired, I knew I had woken him up. He answered in a sleepy quiet voice.

"_Hello?"_

"_Hey, Shawn it's me"_

"_What's wrong?"_

"_I just needed to talk, I'm sorry for waking you"_

"_You know you can call me at anytime I'm here for you, so what do you need?"_

"_I need you"_

"_Hunny, the tour doesn't end for another week"_

"_I know, but I hate this, not being able to see you, I'm miserable"_

"_I know, I know, look, I'll call Vince and tell him I can't continue the tour for family reasons and I'll be home by morning"_

"_Shawn, I couldn't possibly allow that, your tired and the fans, they want HBK"_

"_I know, but if you need me as much as you say you do, then what other choice do I have? I love you"_

"_I love you too, so I guess I'll see you in the morning?"_

"_Well, night there but morning here, yes"_

"_Okay, you sure about this?"_

"_Yes, now try to relax and I'll see you in a few hours"_

"_Okay, bye"_

With that, I hung up the phone. I couldn't believe he was going to come home early because of me, I felt guilty but knew it was probably for the best that he be here to help me plan the wedding and hopefully speed the healing process for my back. I placed the phone back down on the table and I just sat in the chair and stared out the window.


	5. Closing open doors

**A/N: Thanks to those of you who have reviewed it means a lot to me and Amy's family. it has been a rough year, but I think that this story is really summarizing the last year for all those who have had the privilage of knowing Amy. Pls continue to R& R this story it really would mean a lot!**

Shawn arrived home, as promised. I hadn't noticed him enter the room because I remained seated in my chair at my desk the entire time. He pulled up a chair beside me and placed an arm around my shoulders. I looked up at him and he saw the tears that were in my eyes. He glanced down at the picture I was holding, he had never seen the young women before, he glanced back up at me and asked in an understanding tone.

"_Who is she?"_

"_A friend"_

I began to tell him the story of Grace, and how she was suppose to be my maid of honor and how it can never happen. Shawn assumed that she recovered from the cancer, until I finally reached the part I didn't want to talk about. Tears formed in my eyes and Shawn tried his hardest to comfort me while I continued on with the story….

_**Flashback:**_

I ran into Grace's hospital room and told her that I was going to school to become a doctor just like her. Grace gave me a light smile and congratulated me. I was so excited about getting into the university that Grace was hoping to one-day get into. The plan was that Trish was going to go to school while Grace was going through chemo, and eventually apply herself when she was healthy enough to attend school in the fall. That was the last time I ever saw Grace.

Grace died on October 15, 1996, before her life had ever begun. Five days later, she was buried in our small town cemetery. I stood there, in my long black dress, the wind whipping at my soul, trying to be strong, looking, searching for the will to go on. The soothing words of the minister became a fuzzy, unrecognizable sound, faintly droning on in my mind. After the service was over, each person laid a delicate white rose on Grace's casket. I just stood there and watched, unable to move and accept the inevitable. My mother tried to make me leave, but I wriggled out of her grasp. Stepping toward the casket I placed my hand against the smooth wood and touched it lovingly. A solitary tear slid down my face as I laid a delicate bunch of yellow roses on top of the white ones that signified Grace's eternal innocence. _"I love you," _I whispered and blew and kiss into the air, hoping, wishing it would reach her in heaven. Turning, I left, leaving behind me a part of me, a piece of my soul, a part of who I am forever.

End of Flashback 

Brushing away the tears, I placed her picture back on my desk. The faint light cast a soft glow about my room, a feeling of warmth and comfort. Slowly I unraveled my feet from under me and pulled myself out of the creaking computer chair. Wrapping my arms around my body, I traipsed across the room to my open closet door. I reached up on mytiptoes and rummaged through the upper shelf. I started smiling as I felt Shawn's arms around my waist. I slowly lifted down a small oak trunk. Setting it on the carpet beneath my feet, I sat on my knees and opened the lid. Sweet smells drifted from its contents as I closed my eyes, drinking in the moment. I opened my eyes again and looked into my past. Lifting out a small teddy bear, I could hear the laughter ringing in my ears as I hugged it to my chest. My smile broadened as I noticed the well-read letter Grace had left for me in her trunk. Settling down, I leaned against the door and read the letter once again aloud for Shawn to hear.

_**Letter:**_

Dearest Trish,

I love you. You have been my confidante, my closest friend, my sister … my savior. Your honest and simple words have touched my heart and soul like no others could. You have left a lasting impression on my life, and you have become part of who I am. I know that if you are reading this, God has said it is my time to go, and you are in a lot of pain, pain I will never understand. It hurts so much to know that I can't comfort you when you need it most. Please promise to never forget me, but to let me go. You can't survive if my memory keeps you from moving on. Love me in your heart, but let me go in your mind or your life will never again be full of that happiness and love it used to hold. I will be watching over you from above.

Love always,

Grace Simpson

End of letter 

I sat back and let my tears fall, staining the well worn sheets of paper once again. I opened my eyes and swiped back at the remaining tears. I placed the letter back in the trunk. Walking over to my desk, I grabbed the picture frame. I trudged back over to the trunk and set it lightly insider. Without another word, I closed the lid to the trunk, locked it and placed it back on its shelf. With one final look, I closed the closet doors and a chapter in my life.


	6. Acceptance

**A/N: I know it has been 2 years since I last wrote anything for this story, and that's because as I was writing it, it became very hard for me to write anything about Amy as it was all still pretty new, as it had only been a few days after her death when I began this story. This chapter is the final chapter, and it may not be as good as the rest of the chapters but I wrote this chapter on how I did eventually accept her death, and it did take me a couple years to accept it. Also, it is a short ending, as there really isn't anything more I can write without making it drag on with the same oldSo thank you to everyone who has already r&r'd this story, and to any new readers,thank you for reading it, and it would mean alot to me and Amy's family and friends if you took the time to review it aswell.**

After my trip down memory lane, I decided it was time I went to Grace's grave. I hadn't gone there since the day they laid Grace down to rest; I couldn't bear the idea of her being gone forever so I simply did not go. I now stood there staring at the tombstone, and the wreath of flowers that her mom placed there every year on her birthday and could once again feel the tears form in my eyes. I felt the cool air surround my body and I felt a smile form on my face as the thought of the breeze being Grace signaling that she was there.

I sat down on the cold ground and began to talk to her like I used to so many years ago when we were kids, telling her about what was going on in my life and how I was getting married, and how my mom was getting impatient with all the time I was taking to get started on the planning of it. I then went on to tell her that after she had died I gave up on our dream to become the world's greatest doctors and became a pro wrestler, and how her memory kept me going in every match, which lead me to become the 7 time women's champ I am today. It really was just like old times, her and I sitting outside just rambling on about everything, it felt good to be able to do that again, knowing she was there listening to my every word with deep interest. I had to tell her about my future husband and how she would just love him, and how much he would adore her if she were here. There was that word, 'were'. She wasn't here anymore, and I had been talking to air for over an hour, I began to feel the anger build up inside me and the tears threatening to spill down my cheeks, as I began yelling.

"_WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME GRACE?! YOU WERE SUPPOSE TO ALWAYS BE THERE FOR ME, BE MY MAID OF HONOUR AT MY WEDDING, BE THE GODMOTHER OF MY CHILDREN, AND WHERE ARE YOU NOW? YOU'RE GONE; TO A PLACE WHERE I WILL NEVER, EVER SEE YOU AGAIN! YOU'RE SUPPOSE TO BE HERE WITH ME PLANNING MY WEDDING AND NOW WHAT DO I HAVE? I HAVE A DIFFERENT MAID OF HONOUR, DIFFERENT GODMOTHER AND AN EMPTY SEAT AT MY WEDDING BECAUSE YOU CHOSE TO LEAVE ME!"_

As the anger subsided from within me I began crying, the only thing I wanted in the world was for her to be back here with me where she belonged, and she wasn't ever going to be, I was never going to be able to let go of her or accept the fact she was gone and not coming back, I don't think I wanted to accept that, because once I did, then I would of let go of her and I couldn't do that. She was my best friend, always had been, and always would be.

Once I had calmed down, I reached into my bag and pulled out a single yellow rose, and a wedding invitation. I kissed the invitation and as I taped it to her tombstone I spoke aloud to her,

"_I wanted you to get your invitation to my wedding, I wanted you to know that you were invited, and that I would have a special place for you there."_

I then placed the rose on the ground and slowly stood up from where I had been sitting, and looked to the sky. I again felt the breeze surround me and I smiled, a feeling of calm and inner peace that I hadn't felt in a long time.

I blew a kiss into the air, and began to slowly walk back to my car. Once I opened the door, I looked back at her grave and whispered softly to her one last time,

"_Goodbye Grace, you always have and always will be a big part of who and what I am and I thank you for everything you ever brought into my life, I love you."_

I blew one final kiss and took my last glance at her eternal resting place, before finally getting into my car and leaving, leaving behind Grace and the part of me that refused to let go her and drove off to everything I still had in my life.


End file.
